With Rowan Softball only four games into the season, they are still learning new things about the roster.
One of the new additions to the roster is sophomore Brooke McGuigan. Despite being a sophomore, this is McGuigan’s first season on the Profs. Her freshman year at college was spent at Rider University, where she did not play softball, opting to focus more on her education.
“I really just wanted to focus on my academics,” McGuigan said. “They have a really good film program, and I kind of just wanted my focus to be all in on that.”
After her first year at Rider, she decided it was time to make a change.
“Rider wasn’t really what I thought it would turn out to be,” McGuigan said. “I just thought I should come back home.”
Coming back home meant coming to a college close to her, which turned out to be Rowan University. McGuigan also decided it was time to pick up a sport that she had left behind in high school. During her senior year of high school, she had a ridiculous .471 batting average and a whopping .900 slugging percentage.
Coming back after a year off might have seemed intimidating to some, especially when joining a team that had just made the Division III college softball World Series. McGuigan did not let that fact intimidate her; she let the pressure motivate her.
“It pushes me to want to do well, or just to keep that team at that level,” McGuigan said. “So I wouldn’t say the pressure is bad. But I would say it’s a good push.”
One thing that her Head Coach Kim Wilson, saw right away in McGuigan was her great work ethic, a work ethic she needed when adjusting from high school to the college level.
“I think she’s done a very good job,” Wilson said. “There’s definitely a difference in our level. A lot of times, the rookies take a little bit longer to figure that out. I think in the fall she worked really hard to catch up a little bit because she was behind. She’s done a good job continuing her work ethic. She is doing a very good job of keeping herself working hard and getting better every day.”
That work ethic was not just shown in her practices with the team, but she even puts in the time away from that as well.
“I go to hitting lessons,” McGuigan said. “I also live right across from a park with a softball field. So I go there a lot. Just really trying to figure out what I need to do personally to be better.”
The time and effort McGuigan is putting into playing softball is a big responsibility for her compared to high school, but she sees the value in the time she is putting in.
“It’s definitely a big time commitment,” McGuigan said. “I find value in everything that we do. And I think that it’s just really like, it’s more tight-knit. I feel like it is different from high school in that way. It’s very committed, and everyone’s working for that same goal, which is to win.”
All the work paid off for McGuigan as she got the opening day start against SUNY-Oneonta in both parts of the doubleheader. She would end up having a hit and two RBI across both games.
“It felt really good,” McGuigan said. “I was relieved. ‘I was like, yes, my work paid off.’ It felt really good.”
For the rest of the season, McGuigan has set realistic goals and expectations for herself.
“I just hope to add value to the team,” McGuigan said. “Whenever my opportunity comes, I need to deliver.”
Her coach had similar expectations for her but added one other thing she wanted to see from her and all her teammates.
“Just continue to get better and work hard,” Wilson said. “And when she has her opportunities, try to excel during those opportunities, and have fun at the end of the day.”
McGuigan also has large aspirations for what this season will bring, but at the same time does not want to overlook the regular season.
“I would say that we definitely want to go back to the World Series,” McGuigan said. “I think that’s the ultimate goal. But I think like growing as a team and finding value in every experience that we have, whether it’s a win or a loss, and capitalizing on our wins to get further. I think that’s the best thing that we can do.”
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